This is an "introductory blog post" for two of this blogger's longest and most informative videos given by Oakland City Attorney John Russo, and San Francisco Public Defender Jeff Adachi. The follow-up blog posts will be dual: one with the title of "John Russo, Oakland City Attorney, Gives Gang Injunction Update," and the other with the title of "SF Public Defender Jeff Adachi On SF Surveillance Scandal."
Both videos are long: approximately 67 minutes in total, combined. They're part of this blogger's on-going effort to produce deliberate long-form online interviews featuring experts, personalities, and celebrities on issues of importance to various audiences.
This blog presents some highlights:
First, on the matter of the San Francisco Police Surveillance Video Scandal, where 57 cases were dropped after members of the San Francisco Police Department were caught on camera committing civil rights violations against mostly poor and minority suspects, and yet, even under penalty of perjury wrote false police reports, covering up flagrant violations, Mr. Adachi says that District Attorney George Gascon, the former police chief of San Francisco, has announced he will not lead the investigation of the SFPD on this matter. The FBI will take charge of the investigation. (And while they're supposed to, Jeff Adachi says that as of this report, the FBI has yet to contact him. Adachi wants to be kept informed by the FBI.)
Second, Adachi says that this may be the tip of the iceberg of such police misconduct in San Francisco.
On the issue of Oakland's Gang Injunction Update, Russo explains that the Gang Injunction does not violate the civil rights of the person's who are the focus and that it's designed as a kind of restraining order. He also explains that of the 15 men who are part of the injunction, there has been only one arrest since it's application. The injunction they are pursuing now is against The Norteños gang which operates in Oakland's Fruitvale District, and what Russo describes as more "common" gang, with colors and symbols. In that case, the gang injunction targets 40 men.
And regarding the assertion made by The East Bay Express on March 2, 2011, that John Russo had not attended an Oakland City Council Closed Session Meeting in two years, he expressly said that was not true. However, he's not pursued a retraction from The East Bay Express because he thinks it just gives more attention to what he considers a small issue. But the bottom line is The Express was wrong.
Russo also said that closed session was not that valuable because some of the people attending were "not prepared." He's referring to certain Oakland City Councilmembers.
Russo also says that Oakland's "Beat Feet" program, where the Oakland Police would take the car used by a suspect in a narcotics bust, regardless of who owned the car, was declared unconstitutional in 2009.
John's not firing the City of Oakland entirely, but only on the issue of the pursuit of cannabis production in violation of Federal law. Russo says his jobs is to be the city's attorney and not to pursue his personal feelings. Russo was not trying to "stop the council" because of his position. Indeed, he was only one of two of 125 public officials in California to come out in favor of Proposition 19, which if passed, would have legalized pot use; it failed last November.
Here are the videos:
Adachi:
Russo:
Stay tuned.
Both videos are long: approximately 67 minutes in total, combined. They're part of this blogger's on-going effort to produce deliberate long-form online interviews featuring experts, personalities, and celebrities on issues of importance to various audiences.
This blog presents some highlights:
First, on the matter of the San Francisco Police Surveillance Video Scandal, where 57 cases were dropped after members of the San Francisco Police Department were caught on camera committing civil rights violations against mostly poor and minority suspects, and yet, even under penalty of perjury wrote false police reports, covering up flagrant violations, Mr. Adachi says that District Attorney George Gascon, the former police chief of San Francisco, has announced he will not lead the investigation of the SFPD on this matter. The FBI will take charge of the investigation. (And while they're supposed to, Jeff Adachi says that as of this report, the FBI has yet to contact him. Adachi wants to be kept informed by the FBI.)
Second, Adachi says that this may be the tip of the iceberg of such police misconduct in San Francisco.
On the issue of Oakland's Gang Injunction Update, Russo explains that the Gang Injunction does not violate the civil rights of the person's who are the focus and that it's designed as a kind of restraining order. He also explains that of the 15 men who are part of the injunction, there has been only one arrest since it's application. The injunction they are pursuing now is against The Norteños gang which operates in Oakland's Fruitvale District, and what Russo describes as more "common" gang, with colors and symbols. In that case, the gang injunction targets 40 men.
And regarding the assertion made by The East Bay Express on March 2, 2011, that John Russo had not attended an Oakland City Council Closed Session Meeting in two years, he expressly said that was not true. However, he's not pursued a retraction from The East Bay Express because he thinks it just gives more attention to what he considers a small issue. But the bottom line is The Express was wrong.
Russo also said that closed session was not that valuable because some of the people attending were "not prepared." He's referring to certain Oakland City Councilmembers.
Russo also says that Oakland's "Beat Feet" program, where the Oakland Police would take the car used by a suspect in a narcotics bust, regardless of who owned the car, was declared unconstitutional in 2009.
John's not firing the City of Oakland entirely, but only on the issue of the pursuit of cannabis production in violation of Federal law. Russo says his jobs is to be the city's attorney and not to pursue his personal feelings. Russo was not trying to "stop the council" because of his position. Indeed, he was only one of two of 125 public officials in California to come out in favor of Proposition 19, which if passed, would have legalized pot use; it failed last November.
Here are the videos:
Adachi:
Russo:
Stay tuned.
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